Giant (Attack on Titan)
|sentience = Disputed |sapience = Non-sapient |aggressive = Extreme (towards humans) Harmless (towards animals) |language = |origin = |habitat = |diet = |lifespan = |locomotion = Bipedal |sub = |related = Giant |status = Data Deficient |universe = Attack on Titan |creator = [[Wikipedia:Hajime Isayama|諫山 創 - Isayama Hajime]] |designer = 諫山 創 - Isayama Hajime |actor = }}Giants, stylized and translated - as well as commonly known as - titans, are the primary antagonists of the Attack on Titan series. Overview Giants are bipedal creatures with the same number and arrangement of limbs and features one would expect in human beings. They are all deformed by human standards to a greater or lesser degree, ranging from minor abnormalities in proportions (enlarged head, small limbs etc.) to apparently lacking skin and subcutaneous tissues, although they do not bleed from such deformities, indicating that they perhaps possess some other mechanism to compensate for this. The vast majority of giants are masculine, although all lack sexual organs. Giants almost universally possess widened mouths with an enormous number of small, square teeth, though some have been known to possess only canines. Still, the majority of them lack canines, although possibly not incisors. They apparently do not possess a complete or functioning digestive tract, merely a stomach-like cavity that generates acid, and that eventually fills up with what they swallow, forcing them to regurgitate before being able to continue eating more humans they encounter in their rampage. True nature In the aftermath of the destruction of the village of Ragako, the true nature of the giants is discovered. The investigation performed by Hange Zoë reveals that the villagers had been transformed into giants by some unknown means, as a captured giant is discovered to have once been Connie Springer's mother. Examination of test subjects show that no human body remains within the nape, but Hange speculates that the spinal cord operates as an organ separate from the main giant body. As such, it is concluded that most Titans have completely absorbed the human within, leaving only the central nervous system intact as the means of controlling the giant body. The method used to slay giants is revealed to sever the upper vertebrate of the human "pilot" (or what remains of them), effectively killing them via decapitation. It is stated by Ymir that the Beast Titan is the one responsible for transforming the villagers of Ragako, though the method employed remains a mystery. It is also unknown how Titan Shifters avoid being absorbed by their giant form, possibly a result of more advanced methods. It is theorized by Dot Pixis to be the only difference between shifters like Eren Yeager and regular giants. Hange theorizes that giants can absorb abilities from their victims, allowing an ordinary giant to regain human form by devouring a shifter. This was discovered when Ymir, then a regular giant, devoured the young shifter Marcel and regained human form. Hange theorizes that not only can giant shifting be transferred this way, but other unique traits such as Eren's "coordinate" (the ability to control titans) ability could be transferred in the same fashion. Biology Their body structure and power source are very mysterious and they seem to be capable of spontaneously generating both energy and mass. Their extremely high level of activity and body temperature indicates the need for a massive intake of energy to fuel them, yet they apparently never need to eat at all. They do seem to become less active at night or if deprived of sunlight, and so it may be possible they draw their primary source of energy from the sun. Individual Titans seem to possess varying levels of stamina once deprived of sunlight-the captured Titan 'Sonny' became docile and near comatose after only an hour's deprivation, while fellow captive 'Bean' maintained a high level of activity three hours after last seeing sunlight. Despite their enormous strength and toughness, giants' bodies are unnaturally light, and their corpses decay at an extremely fast pace. They have hard skin and regenerative abilities, and the only known way to disable one permanently is by causing a deep incision on the nape of the neck. This weakness led to the development of the three dimensional maneuver gear between the years 775 and 788, allowing humans to navigate quickly and tenaciously in the air to access their weak point. The creatures are at numerous points mentioned to have exceptionally high body temperature. As a result, their bodies emit steam when regenerating, decaying or under heavy exertion. Some humans such as Eren Jaeger, have the unique ability to summon and control a giant body. While in this form, the human's normal body rests in the weak point at the nape of the neck, connected via masses of muscular tissue. They regenerate lost and damaged body parts within seconds to minutes, Most of the time severed heads as well but it has been noted that there are rare times when the head will not regenerate. It should be noted that the vulnerable area is where the "real" human body would be for shapeshifting giants, as proven by Eren Yeager. After death, giant corpses rapidly evaporate to skeletal remains, then to nothing at all. Behavior Giants are compelled to seek out and devour humans for reasons currently unknown, as they do not derive any real sustenance from them; most were not known to taste human flesh for nearly a century after the walls went up, but this did not affect their activity or numbers. Once a giant has filled what passes through its stomach with dead humans, it regurgitates them and continues eating more as soon as possible. It should be noted, as mentioned above, that giants eat humans for no other apparent purpose than killing them. They ignore all other animals and any non-human forms of life, appearing to be a mere will to slay. Most giants don't show sapience at all (although several show sentience, even having fun while killing humans) and many are simply mindless beasts, easy to trick, distract or deceive. However, some of them, mostly the ones whose humanity has awakened (such as Ymir) and the artificial "titan shifters", possess a vast level of intelligence,comparable to or exceeding an experienced and cunning human. Certain giants are noted to be deviant-type (奇行種 Kikō-shū), acting in a way that is not normal for the regular ones, such as not eating humans directly, sprinting randomly and acting with a strategy. The Beast Titan is introduced as the first fully aware and intelligent giant and the only one to have any attribute related to sapience and cognition. It implies that it and its kind are placed far above humans, and it shows little regard for them other than taking interest in the 3D maneuver gear and their tactics and wondering whether it and human beings share the same language. It plans to bring the gear back somewhere to study, suggesting that there are other intelligent giants. It also implies giants are divided into classes, with its class being the rarest of all. The most dangerous aspect of the giants is their unpredictability. They do not follow a strict set of guidelines and have seemed to increase in abilities and attributes as the series goes on. In chapter 38, a group of giants were seen moving at night - when they should be inactive - and breaching doors, skills they did not possess in the beginning of the story. Notes *The movements and the behavior of the titans were inspired by a drunk person Isayama encountered while working in the internet cafe in Tokyo. Gallery File:Attack-on-Titan-Trailer-8.jpg|Titans, as they appear in the live action Attack on Titan films. File:Eren_se_prepara_para_pelear_con_el_titán_que_devoró_a_su_madre.jpg|A Smiling Titan, as it appears in a manga. Category:Creatures Category:Fictional Creatures Category:Attack on Titan Universe Category:Humanoids Category:Man-Eaters Category:Paranormal Beings Category:Unknown Sentience Category:TV Show Creatures Category:Characters Debuting in 2009 Category:Animated Creatures Category:Movie Creatures Category:Live Action Creatures Category:Comic Book Creatures Category:Commercial Creatures Category:Extreme Category:Variable Sapience Category:Creatures Designed by Hajime Isayama Category:Video Game Creatures Category:Cannibals Category:Immortal Creatures Category:Bipedal Creatures Category:DD